Guardians of the Ovulum
by Breann Hill
Summary: When Andrew Bannister and his cousin Kayla are charged with guarding the most powerful ovulum, the purity ovulum, trouble begins to stir. The cousins are transported to Earth and have to find a way to get back to Second Eden. With the world worse than when Bonnie and Billy were on it, will the cousins survive the new world when it is filled with corruption? Darkness seems to reign.
1. Chapter 1

_Andrew Jared Bannister_

I ducked beneath the sword that would have taken my head off if I had waited another second. A sense of danger filled me. My danger sensing trait alerted me about the sword swinging towards my midsection. I raised my sword to deflect it. The air rang with the sound of metal against metal. I leaned into the locked swords, making my opponent tilt back. His foot slipped in the dirt and I gave the blades a shove, sending him backpedaling into the grassy field. Placing my sword under his chin, I said, "I win."

Matt Bannister, my father, looked at me. "Alright, fine, you win this time, Andrew. Go help your cousin."

I glanced to my right where I saw my fourteen-year-old cousin fighting her white-haired mother. Kayla was struggling to keep her footing. I gripped my sword and hurried over to my cousin. The white-haired woman was taken by surprise at my jumping into the fight. "Need some help?" I asked Kayla.

She blew a loose strand of her braided brown hair away from her face. "It's about time you got here."

Together, we began to overpower the woman in front of us. When the fighting had ended, I collapsed on the ground, exhausted. Kayla settled on the ground next to me. With the sun beating down on my sweating and sore body, I felt like I was in an oven. Dad came over to me. "Andrew, your mother and I have to go somewhere. Please don't do anything stupid." And with that, he left.

"When he said stupid, he meant don't go up to Mount Elijah, didn't he?" I asked Kayla.

She nodded before counting on her fingers. "Or go looking for Vacants, or shadow people, or-"

"Okay, I get it." I said, sitting up and getting hit on the head by her hand. "What was that for?"

"You didn't let me finish." She complained. "That's not very kind for a warrior."

"You're my cousin!" I protested.

"That doesn't change the fact that you're supposed to be chivalrous."

"Now you're getting on my nerves." I stood up and walked away.

"Where are you going?" she called after me. "We're supposed to stay together!"

I ignored her and walked into the nearby forest. _How did I end up with her for a partner?_ Someone tapped me on the shoulder. I jumped and turned around to see Kayla standing there. "Where did you com from?" I asked. I was pretty deep in the forest now.

"Your thoughts aren't hard to follow when you're practically screaming them." She commented.

I scowled as I thought about her ability to read minds. She inherited that trait from her mother, Second Eden's resident Oracle of Fire. "What do you want?" I asked, annoyed.

"Your father wants us to stay together. That's why we've been paired up together ever since I was born."

I hated it when she was right. "I'm sorry. It's just… I need to think." Suddenly, my danger sense began going crazy.

I pushed Kayla to the forest floor as a spear sailed over our heads. I looked behind me and caught the movements of a shadow darting behind the trees. I stood up and pulled Kayla to her feet and we both drew our swords. "What is it?" she asked.

"A Vacant, I think." I answered as my danger sensing alarm blared. I couldn't pinpoint the exact location of the threat. Kayla looked around, eyes wide. "Are you picking up any thoughts?"

She shook her head. "If it is a Vacant, then I won't be able to hear their thoughts. But I am picking up some other sounds. I hear breathing. And it's not us."

I was still impressed at how her dragon traits matched her mother's. I glanced at her bare arms. They glowed a dim ivory. "Anything else?"

She closed her eyes. "I'm starting to get some thoughts. They're… hard to hear, I guess." Her skin started to look pale as she wavered in place.

"Are you okay?" I asked, supporting her.

She shook her head and opened her eyes. Her brown eyes looked like they were far off, though. "Candlestone," she whispered. "I think… the person has a… candlestone."

She lost the grip on her sword and collapsed on the ground. "Kayla!" I exclaimed, standing over her with my sword clutched tightly in my grip.

A Vacant jumped out from behind a bush, a spear in hand. His fish-like mouth and wide eyes made him look exactly as his name suggested: vacant. The creature stabbed at my torso, and I cut the shaft of his spear in half. If his eyes could widen any further, then they did, looking at the broken shaft in his hand. I plunged my sword into the Vacant's chest and he fell down dead.

I glanced at Kayla, who was breathing deeply. Setting my fingers against her skin, I felt for a pulse. Her heartbeat was erratic, probably from the candlestone draining her energy. A new sense of danger flooded me, something far more serious than a Vacant. I glanced around at the greenery. Nothing. I knew it couldn't be one of the shadow people. They hated the sun and would only attack during the evening and night.

Unsure of where the danger was located since it seemed to come from all around me, I lit up my sword's special beam and waved it back and forth. In seconds, a dome of light wrapped around Kayla and I. I crouched down next to her, making sure to keep the sword moving.

"Kayla?" I whispered. She stirred but didn't wake up. Her eyebrows furrowed evidence of either pain or a nightmare; maybe both. The candlestone must have been pretty large for her to pass out. Or maybe she hadn't been subjected to one for long periods of time. Her glow had diminished further, to the point where I could barely see it.

An arrow zipped through the air, crashing into the energy dome that my sword, Excalibur, had created. The sword was a family heirloom belonging to my great-great-great grandfather, King Arthur. My grandfather, Billy Bannister, the son of Jared Bannister who was adopted by King Arthur over a hundred years ago, was the rightful heir to the sword. And so for my fifteenth birthday, Excalibur was a present from my grandparents.

A man dressed in black emerged from behind a tree, a bow in his hand and a sword at his side. A glittering gem hung from a string attached to his belt. _Well, there's the candlestone._ I thought.

The man eyed the barrier, watching the waving sword. He took the candlestone from the string and set it on the ground in front of the dome. The barrier flashed and the light was absorbed into the stone.

I stopped waving the sword and stood up, facing the man. I didn't recognize him from either of the two villages in Second Eden. I glanced at the candlestone lying only two feet away from Kayla. When the man stepped forward, I pointed my sword at him, making the man stop.

The sound of flapping wings caused the man to look up and then take off running deeper into the forest. A woman with gray-streaked brown hair and brown colored dragon wings landed in front of me but wavered when she landed. "How-how is Kayla?" she asked, glancing at my cousin who was still unconscious.

I picked up the candlestone and shoved into my pocket. "Thank you." The woman said.

I nodded in response and knelt next to Kayla who was beginning to stir, the color coming back to her cheeks. She opened her eyes and blinked several times before sitting up with a groan. "Are you alright?" I asked.

She nodded. "Just a headache and an ache all over my body."

I helped her stand up and steadied her as she wobbled in place. "Let's get back to Founder's Village. Maybe Ashley can help us."

"If only I had healing abilities." Kayla said, picking up her sword. "Then I wouldn't be weakened by candlestones."

"Really?" I asked. "I have a cousin that glows in the dark and she wants to have the gift of healing?" I shook my head, smiling. "Kayla, God gave you an amazing gift. A gift that only your mother and first dragoness, Shachar, had. Don't wish to be somebody else."

She smiled at me. "Thanks, Andrew. But still, I hate candlestones."

My grin widened and we began walking back towards the village with the dragon woman following us. When we reached the village, my father was waiting for us with his arms crossed. "Uh, oh," I murmured.

We approached my dad and mom, both looking angry. "You went into the forest where the Vacants and the shadow people lurk, you put Kayla in danger, you didn't call for help, I had to send my mother to find you," taking a deep breath he finished, "Other than that, good job."

I looked at him, eyes wide. "Did you just say…?"

He nodded. "Good job. When Kayla was down, you defended her. That makes me think that you're ready for an important job."

"What job?" I asked.

"I'll tell you after you see Ashley and she makes sure that both of you are okay."

I nodded and led the way towards the hut that served as Founder Village's infirmary. When we got inside, I immediately spotted Ashley Foley sitting at a table with a stack of papers in front of her and a pen in her hand. I cleared my throat and she looked up at me. "Your father told me you'd be coming." There were gray streaks in her brown hair and one of the gray colored strands of hair fell into her face. She pushed it away and gestured for Kayla and me to sit down on the cots in the room.

When I sat down on one of the makeshift beds pressed against the wall I recalled the story my mother had told me about one of her experiences in this hospital when she was younger. She had been stabbed in the ribs by a Vacant's spear and had lain, bleeding on a cot. If it weren't for my great-great grandfather, Dr. Matthew Connor, she would have died.

I shook the memory aside as I watched Ashley push a needle into my skin. The thick red liquid of my blood ran through the plastic pipe and filled the tube at the end. When it was filled, she removed the needle and proceeded to check my eyes with a flashlight. "Do you still have the candlestone?" she asked.

"Yes," I answered, reaching into my pocket and removing the glittering rock. Kayla gasped and stiffened on the cot beside me when I brought the candlestone out. Ashley took it quickly and put it in her own pocket.

After checking Kayla, she declared that we were good to go. Kayla and I left the infirmary and made our way towards my family's home. When we walked in, I could tell that something was up. Two glowing people, a boy and a girl sat on chairs with a wooden box sitting on the boy's lap. My mom and dad stood near them, looking anxious. My grandparents, Billy and Bonnie Bannister were also there along with mine and Kayla's dragons that we ride, Kaida and Griffin who were looking through the window of my home. Kayla's parents, Lauren and Eagle, were present as well.

"What's going on?" I asked.

Lauren gestured to the boy and girl sitting on the chairs. The boy stood and placed the box in the girl's lap. "My name is Joran, son of Methuselah. And this is my sister, Selah."

"Hello," I said.

"Your parents told us that you are being assigned to a very important mission." Joran continued. Selah stood up and opened the box. From my vantage point, it looked empty. Joran took the box and Selah reached inside to remove whatever the box contained. When her hands left the box, they were cupped, as if holding something.

She walked forward and stopped in front of Kayla. "Cup your hands like mine." She requested. Kayla did as she was instructed and Selah placed the imaginary item in my cousin's hands. Selah stepped away and I stared at Kayla's cupped hands.

"What is she holding?" I asked. "Or pretending to hold?"

"Kayla, you may hand your cousin what his eyes do not see." Joran said.

I cupped my hands as Kayla slid the object into my hands. At first, all I could do was feel the object in my hands. It was smooth like glass. Slowly, the invisible object turned darker, becoming cloudy. I could soon see the outline of an egg. It was larger than a regular egg and heavier.

"Is this…?" I started.

Joran nodded. "Yes. This is the purity ovulum which you and your cousin have been charged with keeping. This order came from Elohim himself. What his reasons are for you two having the ovulum, I do not know. What I do know, is that you must keep this ovulum out of enemy hands."

I transferred the fragile object back to Kayla's hands and watched as it disappeared, becoming invisible yet again. "Kaida and Griffin will also help you. Never leave the ovulum unguarded. One of you must remain with it at all times." With that, Joran and Selah disappeared.

"I'm confused." I said. "Why are Kayla and I guarding this ovulum?"

Mom shook her head. "Only the Father of Lights knows and we must trust him."

Kayla stared into the invisible egg. "What I don't understand is why the ovulum became clouded when Andrew held it and turned invisible when in my hands."

"The purity ovulum reflects how pure a person's heart is." Bonnie explained.

Kayla nodded. "That makes sense."

"Perhaps a ride though the skies would help clear your thoughts." Griffin suggested in his deep dragon voice.

I nodded. "Sounds good. Come on, Kayla. We'll find a pouch for the ovulum so it'll be easier when carrying it."

She followed me out of the hut, carefully walking with the egg still in her hands. As I searched the storage hut across from my home for something to carry the invisible egg in, I could hear Kayla humming. When I rejoined her with a bag, she had her eyes closed and was humming a soft tune, though the melody was sad.

"What are you singing?" I asked, spreading the bag open.

"You can't hear it?" she asked, opening her eyes and sliding the egg in.

I shook my head. "Hear what?"

"The song of the ovulum." She responded, sliding her arms through the straps of the bag. "The song that the purity ovulum emanates."

I shook my head again. I knew that Kayla was a listener like Lauren and my mother. Literally, my mother's name is Listener because of her gifted hearing. Not many people had this ability and those blessed with it were rare. Bonnie had told me that gifted listeners had the ability to hear the songs that the ovula produced. Kayla was one of those listeners.

Griffin landed next to me, his wings beating as he slowed. He lowered his neck, creating a staircase from his red scales for me to easily climb up and sit at the base of his neck. Kaida landed near Griffin, her tawny colored scales marking her as a female. After I had settled on Griffin and was clutching the spine in front of me, I watched Kayla mount Kaida and grip the protruding spine in front of her before the two dragons lifted off the ground.

Flying a dragon is by far one of the coolest things ever. The only thing cooler than that would be to fly with your own pair of wings but only two people had that trait: Bonnie and Gabriel, Ashley's older brother. I watched as Kaida's and Griffin's wings beat in sync. If I understood correctly, these two dragons were going through the covenant veil, a promise of sorts when dragons mate. If they couldn't pass through the veil, then they could not mate. The way Makaidos, king of the dragons, explained it to me was that the veil showed the true intentions of the heart. I knew that Billy and Bonnie had gone through a covenant veil when they were getting married since they were both anthrozils; fully human and fully dragon. Confusing to you? Me, too.

Kayla continued to hum the song she had sung earlier, the song of the purity ovulum. And then a thought raced through my mind so fast, I was sure that my brain would start choking.

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **This story takes place several years after Bryan Davis' book _Omega Dragon_ the last book in the four-book series Children of the Bard. Andrew Jared Bannister is the son of Matt Reginald Bannister and Listener. His cousin, Kayla Faith Bannister, is the daughter of Lauren Acacia Bannister and Eagle. For those of who have read all the books, then you know the reason why our heroes are living in Second Eden.**

 **Kayla has the gifts of her mother: mind reading, glowing, and super hearing. For those who are confused about the glowing, it's due to the scales under her skin. Yep. Scales. The glowing scales started with the first dragoness, Shachar. Then a prophecy when Lauren was sixteen said that God would raise up another Shachar. One who would be able to hear the song of the ovulum in her scales.**

 **Andrew is seventeen, just so you know. His dragon traits are danger sensing, healing, and fire breathing. For those of you who don't know, I like to give my characters specific names based on the meaning. Andrew means "brave". The Jared part was in honor of his great grandfather.**

 **Kayla means "keeper of the keys; pure". And Faith, as we all know (I'm hoping that we all know what this one means), is "faith". So together, her name means "pure faith".**

 **Actually, now that I think about it, my middle name is Faith. I swear, I didn't mean to do add into the story. I wasn't even thinking of my name while writing this. I was just looking for a name meaning "faith" and Faith seemed to work.**

 **Thank you for reading and please review! If you guys have any character creations, Private Message me these characters. They can be an anthrozil, a slayer, a dragon, or a human. Maybe even a plant hybrid like Sapphira Adi. Or would that still be considered a human since that's what they grow into? (Shrug.) Until next time.**


	2. Chapter 2

_Kayla Faith Bannister_

Wind whipped my face but I loved it. I looked down, unafraid of the height. The terrain of Second Eden zipped by underneath me. I glanced to my left where Mount Elijah, Second Eden's volcano sat.

Kaida beat her wings to stay in the air. Beside her, Griffin did the same. "Get ready," Kaida called. "We're landing."

I clutched the spine in front of me even tighter. Kaida folded her wings in and dropped to the ground. She spread them out before hitting the ground and landed smoothly on the soft turf. I slid off the dragon and scanned the area. Andrew joined me.

"Is this where Larry detected the anomaly?" Andrew asked.

I nodded. "But I don't see anything here that would cause an irregularity."

"A portal, perhaps?"

I shook my head. "I thought that all the portals leading out of Second Eden had been closed."

"Perhaps not all. Sapphira and Elam made quite a few portals when they ruled."

"True. I know there was one near Mount Elijah, or rather in it. But it's closed for sure."

"So what could have caused the disturbance?"

Touching my jaw, I spoke into the tooth transmitter that we had been given. It was one of Ashley's many inventions. "Larry, is this the correct place?"

A male voice entered, sounding slightly robotic. "Affirmative. And it seems that the anomaly is still present."

"Another anomaly? What is it?"

"Anomaly, noun, something that deviates from what-"

"I know what an anomaly is. What is the anomaly?" I asked, exasperated.

"The anomaly matches the frequency of a portal."

"A portal?"

Andrew drew his sword. "I sense danger!"

"Hold on, Larry. Andrew senses something." I drew my own sword and tapped my jaw twice, turning the transmitter off.

A flash of light threw my cousin and I off balance. When I opened my eyes, a rectangle of light hovered two feet above the grass and seven men dressed in black jumped through, pulling out guns once they had landed. Andrew and I ended up back-to-back as they circled us. Kaida and Griffin growled, preparing to blow fire on the men. One of the men aimed his gun at the dragons and fired. A glittering sphere rocketed out of the gun and hit Kaida's neck. She wavered before falling to the ground. Griffin leaped to defend her but the man fired at him as well. Another sparkling projectile hit his side and he fell, unconscious.

The man turned on us. Andrew and I raised our swords, ready to defend and attack. The same man that had shot our dragons fired at Andrew. The bullet hit his arm, sending him falling backwards. I glanced at where the bullet had gone in. No blood leaked out of the entry.

While I was distracted by my cousin, the man had fired at me. The bullet hit my neck and I collapsed. No blood spilled from the wound. Weakness zapped my body and dizziness overtook my senses. My body ached and my head spun. _Candlestone bullets…_ I thought.

Andrew climbed to his feet beside me. Having the healing traits of his father made him immune to candlestones. I fought to keep my eyes open but couldn't and finally, I drifted into unconsciousness.

* * *

When I awoke, my muscles hurt. The dull pain of headache existed in the back of my skull. The ground beneath me was hard and grainy. I opened my eyes and saw a collapsed building to my right. I pushed myself off the ground and looked around. The sky was gray with no sun in sight. Was it nighttime? Possibly, depending on how long I was out.

Andrew was passed out beside me, breathing deeply. I nudged him and whispered, "Andrew, wake up."

He stirred and opened his eyes. "What happened?"

"I don't know. I can't remember." I looked up at the gray sky. Clouds covered the sky but through the gaps, I could still see the ashy atmosphere. A strong wind blew through the area, causing me to shiver despite the long-sleeves covering my arms.

Andrew sat up and brushed dirt off of his shirt. He stood up and pulled me to my feet. "We should try and figure out where we are. Maybe if we walk…"

"What's wrong?" I asked him.

"Can't you feel it? Something isn't right."

I looked around. The world felt cold, barren, and empty. "It doesn't feel like home." I whispered.

Andrew nodded. "I think we traveled through a portal."

"But to where? And how?"

"I don't know. I can't remember what happened. The last thing I remember was riding Griffin."

I nodded. "I remember flying with Kaida but I can't recall what happened after landing."

"Let's move." His eyes widened suddenly. "Do you still have the ovulum?"

I felt for the straps of the bag, slid it off, and opened the bag, kneeling beside it. I pulled out the invisible ovulum, still singing its song. I hummed along with it and the song seemed to strengthen. I put it back in the bag before sliding my arms into the straps again. "We still have it. But, we need to make sure it remains safe. If it breaks…"

I didn't need to finish. Andrew knew that the ovulum needed to be protected. If it broke, there was no telling what would happen.

We began walking, heading in the direction of a mountain. Every time the wind blew, I shivered. Second Eden was a lot better than this place. We passed by tall brick buildings with a large gap in between two of them. Shadows covered the entire alleyway. When we passed by, Andrew stiffened. "Danger,"

Before I could ask him what he meant, a hand reached out from the shadows and yanked me in. My body slammed against one of the brick walls and the hold on my wrist tightened. "What do we have here?" a voice asked.

I looked around but I couldn't find who had spoken. It was too dark. "I don't know Tim, but she glows." A second voice responded. It belonged to the person holding my wrist.

"Glows?" a third voice chimed in.

A rough hand brushed by me cheek, causing the scales under my skin to tingle. "Whoa!" the man holding my wrist exclaimed. "Her glow got brighter."

"I can see that, Ben." The first voice answered.

My eyes slowly began to adjust to the darkness. I could make out three tall figures, all males, surrounding me. "What do you think she is?" the man in front of me asked.

"An alien?" the man to my right guessed. His voice was the third one I had heard.

The man to my left, whom I presumed was the leader, leaned in closer. "What do you have in the bag?"

My eyes widened and I gasped when I remembered that I still had the bag carrying the ovulum on my back. I prayed that it wasn't broken. One of the men, the man in front of me, pulled my sword out of its scabbard. "Hey!" I exclaimed.

"Who uses a sword nowadays?" he asked.

"I do!" I yelled, balling my fists. A new set of tingles ran down my spine and thoughts trickled into my ears.

 _I hope she has something valuable in the bag._ The thoughts seemed to be coming from the leader.

 _Kayla?_ That was Andrew! _Where are you?_

"Andrew! Help!" I shouted. The leader covered my mouth with one of his rough hands. A muffled scream of surprise escaped between his fingers.

"Quiet!" he hissed.

The sound of a sword being drawn drew the attention of the three men in front of me. They turned around and I caught a glimpse of Andrew holding Excalibur, the three rubellite gems in its hilt sparkling.

The man on my right let out a low whistle. "Hey, kid, where'd you get the sword?"

Andrew clenched his jaw and summoned the sword's beam, causing the men to take a step back. Andrew swung it at them but stopped it above their heads.

"Release her at once." He ordered.

The men moved to the side and the one holding my sword handed it nervously over to me. I slid it into my scabbard and joined Andrew. He backed away with me following, all the while keeping the beam in position.

When we stepped out of the alley, he doused the beam and we resumed our walk. "Stop for a minute." I said and he stopped.

I pulled the bag off and opened it up. I slid my hands into the bag and withdrew the purity ovulum. I placed it in Andrew's hands and watched as it began to turn cloudy. The ovulum had remained intact, thank the Maker. I took the ovulum and watched it turn invisible yet again. Before I placed it back in the bag, my eyes widened as I stared at.

"Andrew! Look!" I exclaimed.

He knelt down next to me. "What am I looking at?"

"There are seven bubbles in the ovulum and they're all a different color. The blue one is larger than the others though and it keeps on inflating and deflating, almost like it's a beating heart."

"What does that mean?" he asked.

"I have no idea. Perhaps we will figure it out tomorrow."

He nodded and we began to prepare to rest for the night. I piled dry twigs on the ground and he breathed fire onto them. We sat close to each other to provide warmth. The tune of the purity ovulum continued to play though it was much weaker than before. I laid my head against Andrew's shoulder and allowed sleep to overtake my senses as I prayed for a dream.


	3. Chapter 3

_Andrew Jared Bannister_

My danger sense woke me up. My eyes flew open and I sat up, looking around. Kayla slept nearby, the ovulum bag held firmly in her grasp. The fire had died and the wind tossed the ashes around. I didn't see anything here that could cause danger, but then again, I wasn't from this world.

Kayla stirred and sat up, yawning. "What's wrong?" she asked. "I picked up on some of your thoughts. Something about danger?"

I nodded as the danger level grew, but I still couldn't see a threat. "Let's get moving."

I helped Kayla up and together we began walking towards the mountain we had seen yesterday. The sky was still a gray color. Collapsed buildings lay all around us. I felt like I was walking through a deserted war zone.

Kayla suddenly stopped and turned to face a building to our right. "Kayla, what's wrong?" I asked.

"I hear something in there. Thoughts… a song…" she whispered. She began walking towards the building, ignoring my attempts to tell her to stop. Reluctantly, I followed her into the brick compound.

She climbed the metal stairs and then entered a room. I walked in behind her. A boy around sixteen sat huddled in the corner of the room. He had dark skin and brown eyes. Black hair fell into his eyes. In his hands he held a glass egg that glowed blue. My eyes were drawn to the egg that he was holding. I didn't even notice the backpack he wore or when it shifted without him moving.

"What's your name?" Kayla asked kindly.

The boy hesitated before answering, "Aurick,"

"Valor," Kayla whispered. Her eyes drifted down to the egg. "Where did you get that?"

"I found it." Aurick said, nervously standing up while balancing the blue oval of glass in his palm.

"Do you know what it is?" I asked. He shook his head.

"That's an ovulum." Kayla told Aurick. "The blue ovulum of valor to be exact. There are eight ovula. My cousin and I have one, and apparently you have the blue one."

"What does it do?" Aurick asked, eyeing the ovulum he held suspiciously.

"The ovula were once used to protect Noah's ark from the Watchers and Nephilim." Kayla explained.

"The what?"

"Demons and giants." I summed up.

Aurick nodded slowly. "But how did you know I had this… ovulum?"

"I heard its song. It's faint, but I can still hear it."

"I don't hear a song." Aurick responded.

Kayla shook her head. "Only I can hear an ovulum's song."

I stiffened as my danger sense began blaring. "We've got incoming!"

A creature that reminded of a vulture from what I had seen in pictures appeared in the doorway. It opened its mouth, revealing a pair of fangs. I blew fire at it, causing the thing to shriek in surprise and pain before it flew away.

"Did you swallow a blowtorch?" Aurick asked.

Kayla looked at Aurick. "We're what people would call anthrozils. We're part dragon."

"Dragon? Like as in winged, fire-breathing, reptiles?" Aurick asked, wide-eyed.

Kayla nodded. "Exactly."

Aurick glanced at his backpack. "I…"

"You have wings." Kayla stated. Aurick looked at her as though she were an alien. "I apologize, but your thoughts were pretty loud."

"You… read minds?"

I nodded. "And she glows and has super-hearing. I breathe fire, can sense danger, and have healing abilities."

"We can't stay here." Kayla said. "Something else is bound to attack us sooner or later." Turning to Aurick, she asked, "Do you know where we are?"

"Castlewood," he said hesitantly.

"But what world is this?" Kayla asked.

"Um… Earth."

"Earth?" I repeated. "Of course we would end up here."

"Would you rather us be in stuck in Hades?" Kayla retorted.

"I'm still trying to decide which world is worse. We need to get back to Second Eden as soon as possible."

Kayla nodded and looked Aurick. "I apologize, Aurick. But we must be going. Would it be alright if I take the ovulum with us?"

"Only if you take me as well." Aurick responded.

"Very well." I sighed, seeing as we didn't really have a choice. And I wasn't about to leave Aurick alone. "Let's get going then."

Aurick handed Kayla the blue egg and she slid into my palms. I opened the bag on her back and gently set the ovulum in the bag. When the blue ovulum got closer to the purity ovulum, it turned invisible.

"Please bring out the purity ovulum." Kayla requested. I groped for the invisible egg at the bottom and withdrew it from the bag. Setting it in Kayla's cupped hands, I watched as seven colorful bubbles appeared inside the purity ovulum. The blue bubble was the largest and was inflating and deflating.

"Just as I thought." Kayla said. "The purity ovulum acts as a sort of locating device to find the other ovula. When we get closer to one, if the others still exist, then the bubble that matches the color of the ovulum will begin to grow bigger. I should also be able to hear any other ovulum's song if we get close enough. Though with two of the ovula singing in my bag, it might be difficult."

I took the purity ovulum from her and put it gently in the bag. "You'll be fine." I said. "I'm sure you'll be able to detect any new songs that come up."

"Let's pray that I do. Since both of the ovulums are close together, their songs are louder now. Almost as though they are whisper-shouting." Kayla explained.

"I'll take your word for it." I said, turning to Aurick. "Are you coming?"

He nodded and followed us out of the dusty building. Aurick didn't say much as we walked. In fact, none of us talked all that much. Kayla glanced around at the terrain while I focused on my danger radar. There was nothing immediate just the constant feeling of having to be on constant guard.

Aurick focused on the gray clouds hanging in the ash colored sky as we walked. I could tell that he wanted to fly up there but something told me that he shouldn't go up there. We kept walking and when we reached a plaza, Kayla stopped, looking down at the ground.

"Kayla? Are you-" She held up a hand, halting my words.

"I hear something." She said, still staring at the ground.

"A good something or a bad something?" Aurick asked.

Kayla let out a shushing sound and looked around. Her gaze settled on an alley and she began walking in that direction. I followed after her. She stepped into the shadows of the alley and a sense of danger stabbed me.

"Kayla!" I shouted in warning.

A hand shot out at Kayla with a knife clutched in its grasp. Kayla was quick. She grabbed the wrist, spun it around and the knife clattered out of the grip. Kayla yanked a girl slightly younger than we were out from behind an old wooden crate. The girl had long curly blonde hair and pale skin. Her hazel eyes glistened with fear as she stared at us, eyeing our swords.

Kayla immediately helped the girl stand. She backed into a wall, terrified of us. I stepped forward, causing her to stumble in fright.

"We're not going to hurt you." Kayla promised. "My name is Kayla and this is my cousin, Andrew. And this is Aurick."

"Hello," the girl mumbled shyly. "My name is Charity." She said in a slightly louder voice.

"Kindness," Kayla whispered, automatically recognizing the meaning of Charity's name just like she had with Aurick. "You don't happen to have a glass egg that glows a certain color, do you?"

Charity's eyes widened and she nodded. "It's orange. Why do you ask?"

"May I please see it?" Kayla asked politely. Charity nodded again and disappeared behind a stack of crates. Kayla leaned over and whispered to me, "I think the other ovula are in this world and we have to find them."

"Are we sure?" I asked. "Wouldn't someone else like Steadfast be better prepared to handle something like this?"

Kayla glared at me. "Don't tell me that doubt plagues your thoughts. Elohim chose us to carry out this mission. We should be honored."

I sighed. She was right, as usual. Charity emerged from behind the crates cradling an orange glass egg, the same shape and size as the other two ovula. Kayla gently took the ovulum of kindness from Charity's hands and handed it to me. I carefully took the egg and gently placed it in the bag with the other two and watched as it turned invisible once it reached the bottom.

"Two down, five to go." I stated, closing the bag. I turned to Charity. "You're more than welcome to join us if you'd like."

Charity nodded vigorously, a smile forming on her face. As we began walking towards the entrance of the alley, Charity slipped and fell, scraping her knee on the ground. I helped her up, noticing a drop of blood on the pavement.

"Are you alright?" I asked.

"I'm fine." Charity said. "Don't worry. I heal fast. And I don't get cold very easily."

I exchanged a look with Kayla. "Can I at least check the wound?"

Charity nodded and I examined the scrape. Or at least, where the scrape had been. All that was there now was a faded white scar.

"Hmm, interesting."

"What?" Charity asked. "What's interesting?"

"I think you might be an anthrozil."

"An anthrozil? You mean one of those dragon people?"

I nodded.

"But they're… weird and creepy."

I stood up and looked at Kayla and Aurick. "The three of us are anthrozils."

Charity's hazel eyes widened. "I haven't seen you two here before."

"That's because Kayla and I aren't from your world. We live in a place called Second Eden."

"Second Eden? That place has been closed off since the plague started. And that was a little over eighteen or nineteen years ago."

"Plague? What plague?" Kayla asked.

"Several years ago, a plague broke out where people were getting lesions on their face, arms, and legs. Men from the army started killing children. Some people seemed immune to the outbreak. They had no lesions but it caused them problems. People began to resent the ones who were immune. The haters believed that the disease was the immune people's fault."

"I remember my grandmother telling me that story. That happened right before our family went to live in Second Eden. The plague happened because of the sin in this world. The lesions were a sign that a person hadn't accepted Elohim as their savior." Kayla recalled.

"A lot of people are suffering on this planet. Some don't care." Charity said sadly.

Kayla pulled Charity into a hug. "And are you a believer?"

Charity nodded against Kayla's shoulder. "My grandmother was a believer, too but she died last year. My father didn't believe in Christ and so he perished because of the plague."

"I am so sorry for your loss." Kayla whispered. "Andrew and I are trying to find a way to get back to Second Eden. I'm sure that the king and queen would let you come live there with us."

"King and queen? You mean Elam and Sapphira?" Charity asked.

"No," I answered. "Elam and Sapphira are with the Lord. Our grandparents were the king and queen before my parents were chosen to take their place when I was five."

"I see." Charity murmured.

"Come on." I said before walking away. "We have to keep moving."

Kayla, Aurick, and Charity followed behind me. My danger meter felt like it was in the yellow zone. I realized that ever since Kayla and I had arrived on Earth, the sense of danger had not left. Suddenly, it spiked into the red zone, and I froze. Aurick ran into me.

"Andrew?" Charity asked but Kayla raised a hand, signaling for silence.

"I hear something." She whispered.

I strained my ears to hear anything, but I heard nothing but the wind. "What is it?" I asked.

Kayla closed her eyes and after a minute she shook her head. "I was picking up scratching sounds, some thoughts but then they just stopped. They didn't fade out; they just suddenly halted."

"Let's keep moving." I suggested. "I don't like this."

We continued our trek, a harsh wind soon blowing. Kayla rubbed her sleeve-covered arms, her lips tinged with blue. Something white floated down from the sky and landed on my outstretched hand, melting instantly.

"It's snowing." Charity said, looking up.

Kayla shivered. "We need to get out of this weather. W-we'll f-f-freeze."

I nodded and shepherded everyone to a building. Once inside, I closed the wooden door, blocking out the wind. However, the building was freezing. I sighed and I could see my breath. A fireplace had been built into the opposite wall from the door. Dry wood sat in the hearth and I walked over to it. Taking a deep breath, I blew out a steady stream of fire at the wood that immediately began burning.

Charity was looking around at the large room we were in. "This is my house."

"Is it alright if we stay here?" Kayla asked, bouncing on her toes to keep warm as she rubbed heat into her arms.

Charity nodded. "Yes, that's fine. Wait here."

She disappeared up a flight of stairs and returned minutes later with her arms full of blankets and pillows. She handed me a thick comforter and a pillow. "I hope these will keep you warm tonight. If you get cold during the night, there's more upstairs in the closet at the end of the hall."

I put the pillow on the carpeted ground and spread out the blanket while everybody else did the same. Kayla carefully removed the pack and set it next to her pillow. "Thank you, Charity."

Charity nodded and walked into another room and returned with a box of graham crackers, four wooden sticks, a bag of marshmallows, and a thing of chocolate. "We can make smores." She said.

"What are smores?" I asked.

"I'll show you." She said and for the next few hours, the four of us made smores. It turns out, I enjoyed them.

We ended up falling asleep late into the night. I found it hard to rest with my danger alarm continuing to ring. After hours of tossing and turning, I finally fell asleep.

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **Hello my fellow anthrozils! I finally got chapter 3 done.**

 **Aurick means "valor" and Charity means "kindness". Got it?**

 **PM me any character ideas that you guys have. I'd love to hear your ideas. Thank you for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555; text-align: center;" data-p-id="61a2fc05e6a86187eb144f76b8849ab4"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Kayla Faith Bannister/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="679684da4a4477100ba2a18771f3f9b9"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"I stood in an inner courtyard with men and women standing around me. Their attention was on a man who was sitting on a set of stairs, speaking to them. The sounds of shouting men, shuffling feet, and a woman grunting drifted in nearby./em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="d038940228ebdcbf2c260f1d3969526b"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Several men walked out from around a column, two of them holding a woman's arms. She squirmed in their tight hold, unable to break free. The men threw her down in front of the stairs. She kept her head low. The man sitting on the stairs stopped speaking and descended to the ground./em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="bc66107fde5148200febf6e1ed25684d"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"One of the men faced the speaker and pointed at the woman. "Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. The Law of Moses commanded us to stone such women. What do you say?"/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="bc582bbc1aa6b07e503cb8c0e962b991"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"The speaker did not reply. Instead, he bent down and began writing in the dirt./em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="1e2c5025fc6774dec0d8d37f68f3e6e3"em style="box-sizing: border-box;""Teacher?" the man called. "Did you hear me? She is an adulteress. What do you say we should do with her? Stone her?"/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="9ccec9d01716ed7084da879b79a1bb5f"The man still did not give an answer. The other men picked up stones that were on the ground, preparing to cast them at the woman./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="4de4780821b6bb955e711a5655f3ae65"em style="box-sizing: border-box;""Teacher?" the man tried again. "Will you render judgment according to the Law of Moses?"/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="2073811f7c62e3afdb3b21e078926a75"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"The woman's shoulders shook, a clear sign that she was crying. Black hair tangled with knots flowed down her back and over her shoulders./em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="54b0a4f9b572522342079b25d65201bf"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"The speaker finally stood and faced the crowd. "He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to cast a stone." He went back to writing on the ground again./em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="ef09cb8f059ac9c4845eecb72108ca2e"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"The answer took everybody by surprise. One by one, they all dropped their stones and left the courtyard until it was empty save for the woman and the speaker./em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="137f36662e0a5d03621833c33df020e3"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"The teacher rose and surveyed the courtyard, his gaze finally landing on the woman before him. "Woman," he said in a gentle tone, "where are they? Did no one condemn you?"/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="c39d64ebfde1635b3480954414a897de"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"The woman met his gaze. "No one, Lord."/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="ff99738863d7c89c0d4c5860abebfd2a"em style="box-sizing: border-box;""Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more." He walked away, leaving the woman kneeling on the ground, surrounded by the stones./em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="5982d5445031add8281b72e231ee5a6a"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"The woman picked up one of the stones and stood up, her eyes still brimming with tears. She looked upwards, a tear sliding down her cheek, and sang./em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="5eb8836c22f7e6ec4828005b03f8b7e6"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"How can a man of flesh and bone/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="a0da3b8fbaa92d3d33fea9c4b064e658"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Embrace my heart and soften stone?/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="9ba647d008492c984ace96d9ac507050"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"For I am she who woos men's hearts,/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="ace86fd78d4844082a0dcfbb6dfc39d9"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"And none resist my vocal arts./em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="146aec2a927d01b49e2f0ca7a589ae96"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Yet now 'tis I who trembles here/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="e3428094064703b0c72e9027f42193f0"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"As conquered, broken, shedding tears,/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="dbdc5a894babeabe76d0f756c028a56d"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Deserving stones and ruptured flesh,/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="1b574ab16af0d973682d7262fcf1a2bf"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Instead he offers life afresh./em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="6d7dd667ef6b60aa70e11033c853ac8a"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"This man of mercy knows my mind,/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="9e2f458b455b45ecce5081d367108a60"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Commands me leave my sin behind;/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="23dd9a9036f0cf2e11b7de4360faf515"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"But how can scarlet change to white/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="4cee518fd5647f65fd277570be53e74b"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"When evil steals my will to fight?/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="7b30a4f4aa1d1f7de3010130a020414b"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"These words remind of sin's great cost/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="28cb525792881ad4984ba76ba47aad08"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"To sheep that choose to wander lost;/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="d15eb1bf91860afab63ff4388679daaa"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Yet other costs weigh down my wrists,/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="03f774850c6635603f82fdfaa9591751"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"The price I'd pay should I resist./em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="a413777ca9f9c0054b5d95cd238f046e"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"In chains I lie each night in bed/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="44cb9f91b1b027646c1e8f8de48c2dfd"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"As one who wishes she were dead;/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="c28d216de66d4a12d2ccd10414b5e44c"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Now torn apart, I must decide,/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="20fb340abe37ea837fe3036b7e9fff47"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Because to follow is to die./em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="2ae855ce7f4c0a04f741f12d334edcf9"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"She dropped the stone and hurried away, leaving the courtyard empty. The colors began to fade, replaced by a bright blue sky and a field of green grass and red flowers. A horse lay nearby while a young man rested in the meadow./em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="7d9a2dea210e330b88c7a3b8a0d58fc8"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"A woman with long black hair and wearing a black cloak tied tightly around her body crawled towards the man. I gasped as I recognized the woman as the same one from the courtyard. She drew closer to the man and leaned close to his neck, exposing a pair of fangs in her mouth. I wanted to scream a warning to the man, but found that my voice didn't work. I tried to move but it seemed that my feet were glued to the spot where I stood. All I could do now was watch, unable to help./em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="e726a19cf9bc6c5151ee46daa3356d8f"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"As the woman drew closer to the man's neck, she paused. She drew her mouth away and the man opened his eyes and gasped, jumping to his feet and backing away. "What do you think you're doing?" he shouted at her./em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="fedec270bcb1887011ebca6ad8726d93"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"The horse was immediately up and hurried over the man. "What? What did she do?"/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="3816736638c9ded5f78a7966938d171b"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"I gasped. A horse... talking?/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="512de00d09005d8ac5c068b2d0374bb7"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"The woman straightened. "I... I was trying to get close to you. I woke up alone, and I was scared, so I wanted..." she covered her face with her hands as she wept, her shoulders shaking and her body trembling./em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="70a47540f9554359d3c271ee19ca7402"em style="box-sizing: border-box;""She was after your life's blood!" the horse yelled. "She was using her harlotries to seduce you so she could steal your eternal life for herself!" I looked at the horse, then the woman, before focusing on the man./em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="bdde37f0fa9ed1202ebec94433b3adf0"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"The man glared at her. "Naamah? Is that true?"/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="0762b8d41479db75a36a5511d4a932a2"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"The woman named Naamah clasped her hands and shuffled towards him on her knees. "No, /emem style="box-sizing: border-box;"Elam/emem style="box-sizing: border-box;"! Please believe me. I just wanted to be close to you. You're the only one who ever showed me any mercy." She grabbed his ankles and bowed low, tears continuing to stream down her cheeks. "I confess that I thought about stealing your life while you slept, but I didn't do it. Even as my lips drew near to your throat, I changed my mind and decided to just rest at your side." She wiped his feet with her hair. "Please forgive me!"/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="0cf76a2531b0bc4c3aece2ceebdc404c"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"This man was /emem style="box-sizing: border-box;"Elam/emem style="box-sizing: border-box;"? Second /emem style="box-sizing: border-box;"Eden/emem style="box-sizing: border-box;"'s first king? Where was Sapphira? This all must have happened in the past./em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="4dc74b9712ab8ae8c561ee273658be95"em style="box-sizing: border-box;""The only reason she didn't steal your life is because you awakened before she could strike!" the horse said. "She has used your goodness against you, /emem style="box-sizing: border-box;"Elam/emem style="box-sizing: border-box;". She gained your trust only to get close enough to drain your life. She is the worst of harlots! She is a deceiver! A betrayer!"/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="fbe9db25378b8183dfa122923319a0ce"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Elam/emem style="box-sizing: border-box;" stepped back, Naamah's hands slipping away from his ankles. "What should I do?"/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="dc804a2d1e107ca4f3d7893bfbb7cd80"em style="box-sizing: border-box;""The harlot must die. If you let her live, she will only seek to destroy your life again. She is insatiable and can never change." The horse kicked a nearby stone towards /emem style="box-sizing: border-box;"Elam/emem style="box-sizing: border-box;". "You must do away with her. Stone the wretch and cast her into the eternal fire."/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="7106cb8200a8d05e24bb4e09464df4cd"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"I watched as /emem style="box-sizing: border-box;"Elam/emem style="box-sizing: border-box;" picked up the stone. "You have been a deceiver all your life. You tortured both Sapphira and me and lots of others in your slave pit. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't do what Dikaios says!"/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="b9e214c2ef26eba161c12f791617a129"em style="box-sizing: border-box;""No, /emem style="box-sizing: border-box;"Elam/emem style="box-sizing: border-box;"!" Naamah cried. "You must believe me! The angel said a man would cover me and offer me life. Other men came by, but they did the opposite. They talked of Jesus, but it wasn't the Jesus I knew. It wasn't the Jesus I met in /emem style="box-sizing: border-box;"Palestine/emem style="box-sizing: border-box;". He offered me freedom from Morgan's spell, but I refused. He was kind and gentle, not like those fools. They mistreated me and counted me as nothing but a harlot, a worthless harlot."/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="8e94c53c5d4ed50ddb2bbb5a56d74094"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"She gasped for breath as spasms shook her body. I watched, curious as to what would happen. Would /emem style="box-sizing: border-box;"Elam/emem style="box-sizing: border-box;" stone her for her crimes? Or would he show her mercy?/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="80d943ae65d138aaa3f8e7cd011cc6d3"em style="box-sizing: border-box;""But you... you covered me, so I knew you were the one who had life. All I had to do was somehow get it, but I thought when I came to the mountain face I would be unable to make the drawing change, and you would send me away. So, in my vain imaginings, I wondered if I could take the blessing before you learned of my inability to serve you. But I didn't do it, I..." she gazed at him, tears still evident on her dirty face. She curled into a ball and sobbed, trembling. "I /emam em style="box-sizing: border-box;"still a foolish harlot. Do to me what you must. Even for thinking about betraying you, I deserve worse than stoning."/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="961b93fecf3de2201fa69c36e5cd7834"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Naamah was right. She did deserve worse than stoning. But that didn't mean she didn't deserve mercy. Still, would /emem style="box-sizing: border-box;"Elam/emem style="box-sizing: border-box;" show that kindness to her? To spare her life and give her a second chance to redeem herself? She had, along with Morgan Le Faye, caused /emem style="box-sizing: border-box;"Elam/emem style="box-sizing: border-box;" and Sapphira to suffer greatly in the mines of Hades./em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="f1f28e16f0dd8a9a9ed32cb4085203cc"em style="box-sizing: border-box;""She has finally spoken the truth." The horse, Dikaios, said. "Take back your cloak, which she has defiled with her filthy body, and cast her into the /emem style="box-sizing: border-box;"Lake/emem style="box-sizing: border-box;" of /emem style="box-sizing: border-box;"Fire/emem style="box-sizing: border-box;". One stone well-aimed will take care of this witch once and for all!"/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="27a2e4d99e4e082d4ee17a34372b26a9"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Naamah trembled and then began to sing. The melody was lamenting, forlorn, and plaintive– sad yet beautiful at the same time./em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="aa24d3260536bbf826d7fd7c4e3982be"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"O who will wash the stains I bear/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="53e90d0ed3882c80bbaee464735679be"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"The harlot's mark of sin I wear?/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="1254bf7f07dba71c0a0990f2dcdfea8f"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Exposed and shorn of all I prized,/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="c6adf7d9ee1c9653928533c710b5b49d"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"And now I beg for mercy's eyes./em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="bce96c147825372895c0aa10a1a3a59c"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"O Jesus, look upon my strife/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="74030438304f611eff403b1a3192e6d7"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"And spare this foolish harlot's life./em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="acd37145efe29eb0fcbba1e07b1bde81"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"I bow, surrender, pour my tears;/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="ddc54e7d6ea67aff6c630cc4d89eaa6b"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Forgive my sins and draw me near./em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="216a9c37ef2698718c0f181d6c0583df"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Then she whispered, "However many moments you allow me to live, Jesus, I will go and sin no more." I barely heard her words, but my heart ached to help her, despite being a sinful woman./em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="5082512ffae6b58c16e652edbaf5d96b"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"The tune to her song was the same as the one she sang in the previous scene. The song was sad, beautiful, and heart-touching at the same time. I wanted to remember that tune for my entire life, if possible./em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="deabc39b168456af7dcc71d4938ace7d"em style="box-sizing: border-box;""Her words have proven vain, /emem style="box-sizing: border-box;"Elam/emem style="box-sizing: border-box;"!" Dikaios shouted. "She cannot be trusted. Take your vengeance now!"/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="593b75c35bdbec4e9cf010ada002e55a"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Elam/emem style="box-sizing: border-box;" glanced at the horse, the stone in his hand, and finally at Naamah who was trembling as she cried, waiting for the stone to fly from his hand and strike her. /emem style="box-sizing: border-box;"Elam/emem style="box-sizing: border-box;" sighed and dropped the stone and laid a hand on her back. "You asked me to forgive you, Naamah. Who am I to refuse?"/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="e818278a000c52b0b7376f808d462be9"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"A smile appeared on my face. /emem style="box-sizing: border-box;"Elam/emem style="box-sizing: border-box;" showed her mercy!/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="68e854e2fe229905e5e7cf62a87388f4"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Naamah looked up at him, surprise, relief, and disbelief on her face. "Do you mean, you...?"/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="4611658a3b68f5f2f0a0060f66131754"em style="box-sizing: border-box;""I forgive you." He extended his hand for her to take. "That's really the only life I have to offer... yours."/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="9339f9fccc8ad24bf8d369caedd16e96"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Naamah took his hand and stood. When he released her hand, she stared at her palm which was now smeared with blood./em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="5bd219e6d86c23d213d3ab1971b6e11b"em style="box-sizing: border-box;""You don't have to say anything. You don't have to do anything at all." Turning to Dikaios, he said, "If you will lead the way, good horse, I will follow. What Naamah does is up to her."/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="b1ca437ad508abd7a357d8a36891bdcc"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Dikaios began walking away with /emem style="box-sizing: border-box;"Elam/emem style="box-sizing: border-box;" following behind him. Naamah continued to stare at her palm./em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="ac02b93602c944b1b3f3aa7ec4be885f"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Elam/emem style="box-sizing: border-box;" walked up a hill but stopped when he reached the top. /emem style="box-sizing: border-box;"Elam/emem style="box-sizing: border-box;" raised a fist and stared at it. Then he turned to Naamah and extended his hand to her. She ran towards him and dropped to her knees in front of him. She grabbed /emem style="box-sizing: border-box;"Elam/emem style="box-sizing: border-box;"'s hand and kissed his palm. "You won't regret this /emem style="box-sizing: border-box;"Elam/emem style="box-sizing: border-box;". I promise, you won't regret your mercy."/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="1832e651fd780613d4bb995c97b00b83"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Elam/emem style="box-sizing: border-box;" pulled her to her feet and looked into her eyes. "To be wanted and not lusted for. To be loved and not pitied. To be asked and not commanded." He slipped his hand into hers, pressing their palms together. "Is that right?"/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="84395d8a6af72b0736ad65deb0dea58d"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Naamah smiled. No fangs were present. "And to be believed, even after all my lies."/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="2db58bda51eb5017bd063603ba5781e7"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Elam and Naamah followed Dikaios, hand in hand, as the colors of this beautiful realm disappeared. The blue sky and field were replaced with stones, dark and dirty. Three people sat in the room large enough to hold a dragon. A man, a woman with dragon wings, and a boy were conversing about something, a burning rope being held by the boy./em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="d7732c9318c28fb2c1d75a099ac7990b"em style="box-sizing: border-box;""Okay, let's think about this." The man said. "Lauren said that you're emanating the ovulum's song. Can we use that information?"/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="cd292095935c6d7bdf335ab5d3516e4b"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"I gasped when the man mentioned my mother. What could she have to do with all of this? Was this what happened in the past? During her adventures?/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="a19eeee1758ccdd20668e8ca38898be9"em style="box-sizing: border-box;""Maybe," the woman replied. I knew this must be Bonnie, my grandmother. "I've been having this dream about two children of Methuselah who are trapped inside an ovulum called the purity ovulum. It's kind of fuzzy, but I think I remember Methuselah saying its song can break shackles that keep the ovulum imprisoned."/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="ea5c751726e19d0c6610cf91a19b3239"em style="box-sizing: border-box;""So, do you have a special song?" the boy asked, still holding the rope. "Something that might break this lock?"/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="6b222c5fc486cfdc571dfa8f8e417874"em style="box-sizing: border-box;""I do have a favorite song." Bonnie said. "Whenever the Healers strapped me to the bed for tests, I always sang a psalm Gabriel taught me when I was little. When I woke up, the straps were always loose. And a few times recently, the guard found our cell door unlocked, but I don't remember if I sang the song that day."/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="b91ef488f829fc68213645d0141f4fb3"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Bonnie was the singer of the mercy song. Her song broke chains and helped people's hearts to soften. She was the mobile ovulum./em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="4f25a7405a112a71be857247e90e310f"em style="box-sizing: border-box;""But if you learned that song a long time ago, why would it be the song of the ovulum now?" the man asked./em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="9e08e7dbaae74ff90b845f91ef3b605e"em style="box-sizing: border-box;""After I became an Oracle of Fire, I altered the tune to match a melody that kept running through my head. I had to change the words to fit, but it still has the same meaning."/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="00e18b1da40cb2fbb3036816689ad4e3"em style="box-sizing: border-box;""Then that explains everything. Let's see if it works."/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="6346898d865f72fb5bef4435d8d01097"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Bonnie moved to the metal door and leaned down towards the lock. She cleared her throat before singing her song, the melody the same as the one Naamah sang./em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="5a62bb50bf0d3d36fc08d04d8835262f"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Oh where can man escape from God,/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="cc01c3902395363efd90937ad00fe3d1"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"To fly from hope, to leave this sod?/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="3b43398aedb847025543c8216073d646"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"To Heaven's door? Nay you are there./em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="899877efd8db89b479401db8a6950de8"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"To beds in Hell? You hear his prayer./em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="7ff7461810a4c96fd505e56963d1b4dd"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"I fly at dawn and dwell at sea,/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="32788374204011ad0c9c2841c9cf0834"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"And there you lead and comfort me./em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="8c2a10a4fc468a5547ca1e96a2889cb7"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"If darkness covers me at night,/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="55b3d4d8df27d611f977fcd06476d945"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Behold, you're there, my shining light./em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="fc88843bc1f1117b07c83d2dc064a518"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Yes, darkness cannot hide from you;/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="e2744d7bbe089f99b29d8c27874ae71a"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"The night casts off her blackened hue./em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="c0f62cb17f457cd39e2d11e0d28d6082"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"No darkness dwells within your sight,/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="e2e8ac0a4edba5442fd9073e01f05de5"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"My God who gives eternal light./em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="fd0ea822c5cc94cbf529d93e0d14851f"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"The door swung open and the image shifted yet again./em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="d3a7c14393418d873ab35e077b50e0e7"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"I stood outside in the cold. A wind blew my brown hair around my face while snow fell from the sky, creating a white blanket on the ground. I shivered./em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="e9093e201be9bca956d7c8788b7a01cc"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"I stood in an area where men dressed in military clothes were getting swept up into a vortex that led to who knows where. A spinning column of fire separated everyone from the other side of the area. Buildings were positioned on the left and right. Dragons flew in a circle above the fire, blowing their own stream of flames at the column./em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="cd3b0676db18a131047a792e074b9ca6"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Three people stood on an object my mother had called a tank. I recognized two of the three: Joran and Selah. Joran was holding his lyre. The other person, a girl around my age stood next to them, a rope tied around her wrist./em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="fda3b4b2c13bd5b0d529bcc3d9a7b6f8"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"A man resembling Walter Foley was on the ground with a sixteen-year-old boy who had the other end of the rope tied around his waist. He and Walter were fighting men who seemed like they belonged in the army./em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="1b2f3e0d05395bd64c564f80504c71f0"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"The girl moved in front of Joran and Selah. "How much of the song can you remember?"/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="ed14b370a04fa50a66c43fca77110ebc"em style="box-sizing: border-box;""Only a few notes." Joran answered./em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="05f0e5756a5ff70eb55cfec9405bda6f"em style="box-sizing: border-box;""Give me the lyre." The girl reached for the ancient object. Even the though the lyre looked brand new, it was technically considered ancient seeing as how it was from the times before the Great Flood. "Keep trying. I'll see if it comes to me."/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="2aa4b02bd7a2034bca30477c429de9b6"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Joran handed her the lyre and she carefully plucked the strings, each one a different color. When she had played each of the seven strings individually, she began to sing./em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="19230ed513227c5cb4a914dbc14ff281"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Your love protects my soul within/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="8da07d3bd6df5a2de48b5dec35247f1e"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"And shields my heart from shameful sin;/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="c4fccdf10cd6648504117c8a4042cb23"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"No flames or fear can steal my love;/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="c5bb3eb2155f71f2e0a8e351777b1ee0"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"It's safely stored in God above./em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="8b8abef835a162051bce0c9e92bf4e9c"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"So now I ask with mercy's song,/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="f1b58381d61396e61d59e9eefd6e9b09"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Unfurl a banner safe and strong,/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="b5d51475b50a3bb1d465c377958efc80"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"The sound of love's enfolding grace;/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="c8d3508c31edbbe000557de74b3115a5"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"We trust in mercy's warm embrace./em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="c40bfe814f69fc0bc93abfcbc9dae713"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Although the tempest tosses seas,/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="f348119fa15a3c72c45bc1aebe7769b5"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"And evil men encompass me,/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="8a1df096803d4778e23b117324d13e6b"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Let grace and mercy be my shield,/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="aa564d16cae3ee03148709bb8af6e6fd"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"And love and truth the sword I wield./em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="95c8ad2ce36aec74ffedf9822f2fc84b"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"I watched as the cold scene melted away. I now stood in a field of green grass with a bright blue sky above me. A soft tune played in the new world. I knew this song, but I couldn't place where I had heard it before. "Where am I?"/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="e3ebd95c63ef871bd0cbbac704d0af2d"em style="box-sizing: border-box;""In a dream." A man answered. I looked to my left where the voice had come from. A man wearing a brown tunic, breeches, and sandals stood there. He had a long white beard and kind eyes. "You are dreaming."/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="da029d7337d737515a5c604a6b813690"em style="box-sizing: border-box;""Who are you?"/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="88e9825c3392a6afa0e12206e331ed5b"em style="box-sizing: border-box;""My name is Enoch and I have been a friend of your family for many years."/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="a372fcbd2488803327a502db8d98f75b"em style="box-sizing: border-box;""Can you help explain my dream?"/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="4a07ea2933d0b35154308b07375d985e"em style="box-sizing: border-box;""That depends on if the Almighty allows me to explain it. What is it about your dream that you need to have me explain?"/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="36d4c5b7501e0ae135757419672b5f19"em style="box-sizing: border-box;""The song?"/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="e3264cf6285beebdb066393660110c61"em style="box-sizing: border-box;""Ah, the mercy song. As you know, each of the eight ovula sing a different song. The purity ovulum sings a song that inspires kindness and selflessness. It touches the hearts of others. The mercy song is sung by those who experience mercy and then show it to others."/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="6aa4f6733313cd2575e9cdd7262c220c"em style="box-sizing: border-box;""But then why am I dreaming of these things?"/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="ef89054f2fe48d1067f4f15274f45523"em style="box-sizing: border-box;""Because," Enoch looked at her. "You are now the new singer of the mercy song. The bearer of the purity ovulum's melody. The mercy song has been sung by your family for quite a while. First, it was Naamah, and then when she died and Bonnie Silver was burned, Miss Silver became the new singer of mercy. Lauren Bannister also sang the song, saving her life as well as her friend's lives. And now the song has been placed inside of you. You now emanate the ovulum's song. Only you can constantly remember the tune. And new words will come as well."/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="ef4956e212b34b8c65b80d89decdc1b8"em style="box-sizing: border-box;""But what do I do with this song?"/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="ef0ca876243db8d287abe737bd33546f"em style="box-sizing: border-box;""This I cannot tell you. But please remember, that the purity ovulum's song can break chains that have imprisoned it. This is why Bonnie would wake up to find her cell door unlocked or the restraints holding her to the bed in the Healer's room loose. She unknowingly sang the song, just as you do. Even if you do not realize it, you are constantly singing the song, even in your sleep."/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="64d0e0d19f1c116132e367c0cb150709"em style="box-sizing: border-box;""But what now? How do Andrew and I get back to Second /emem style="box-sizing: border-box;"Eden/emem style="box-sizing: border-box;"? And will Uncle Matt and Aunt Listener allow the others to come with us?"/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="877570a2755d7ca496ed746be0b1aba5"em style="box-sizing: border-box;""I cannot help you here. I can only ask and pray that the Almighty will guide you and the others and protect you on this journey. The earth has gotten even worse since your grandparents were last on it. And since Bonnie has gone to live in Second /emem style="box-sizing: border-box;"Eden/emem style="box-sizing: border-box;", the realm where you now reside in no longer hears the ovulum's song; a call to mercy and kindness. But now that you sing the song, I believe that people will have a change of heart now that the ovulum's song is once again being heard in that world."/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="8c7f7140c772ccf70d458237b4debbd5"em style="box-sizing: border-box;""Thank you, Enoch, for what you could tell me."/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="ebce7a0638a3e1ec1391177ee9fe5c93"em style="box-sizing: border-box;""I only wish I could tell you more. Alas, Jehovah would like his children to learn the answers to their questions from their own experiences rather than being told the answers and skipping out on a life-changing lesson."/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="dd7d65540c9e8e52ba9c8d68f539bb97"em style="box-sizing: border-box;""I understand. And thank you again, Enoch."/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="659d79a1c4c2dd44c6dd1bdaa864d7fa"em style="box-sizing: border-box;""Be safe, dear child." Were Enoch's last words before I blinked and found myself in a dimly lit room./em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="cdf1768581b0a3af9fd0d02c97af8d7e"I sat up, rubbing my head where a headache had taken up residence. Andrew was awake and was stoking the fire, occasionally breathing a steady stream of flames at the burning logs. "Good morning." I greeted my cousin./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="53dd22dd70d9b18aef232f6c36cfe4b8"Andrew turned around and smiled at me. "Good morning, Kayla. How did you sleep?"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="64e140d62da15086253a20a5d6753f8a""I don't think a Vacant breathing in my ear could have woken me up."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="e9933a55fd34f0eef11c3ea2cb2a06ff""That's good... I suppose."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="3251dd1de4e97f3c0a0751713ea7f5b4""Did you sense any danger last night?"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="c5a61fef763e8d9175b6805694c00431"Andrew nodded. "A few of those vulture things were poking around the house. They left after a while but it was like they were looking for something."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="6a467a1a0527b5bd11b9badabc75a806""Do you have any idea what it was they were looking for?"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="705b20789b997cabbe129e09f9ef0919"Andrew shook his head. "Those creatures remind me a lot of what my father called-"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="d25e3e474c58deecdcfa14f614c339fd""Drones," I finished. "Grandfather Billy told me about them. We have to be careful. Their bites can cause paralysis and eventually death."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="a4ebbd0e7a47593d6a3722d6df77736f"Andrew nodded slowly. "Let's wake Aurick and Charity so we can leave. The other-" a crash from outside interrupted him./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="ff93ee384d347a862e2b7579bf768a87"Charity and Aurick sat up quickly and looked around. "What was that?" Charity asked./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="cedd9f7372db5d0dc1d69e08356afbbd""I'm not sure," Andrew said quietly./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="9473596e67e2b0ffdaf25b328972c43f"I held my hand up for silence. Standing up, I made my way towards the back door in the kitchen. Part of the glass on the door had been shattered and the door was open. I furrowed my eyebrows and began walking towards the open door./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="186f9ea5e108b9f98c477788f350bc4a"I heard whispered talking coming from outside. When I stepped outside onto the light gray snow, a strong gust of wind made me shiver. I tugged on my red sleeves to cover up my hands. My fingers were already starting to go numb and my teeth chattered./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="5ce28036f2c88fd72aee40f9585f1d40""Shut up, Sabri!" someone hissed./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="9d82b9e392626768a4ab9cb5d1dd5adf""Let's just go already, Annas." Another person insisted./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="56eb1112e7a11081c1a9ba3fdf5c5bee"I drew my sword and walked a little further. Four people sat huddled near the hose in the back of the house. They stared at me, wide-eyed. Each of them held an ovulum. I put my sword away and Andrew hurried over to me./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="9375403e3b17c06f84e840ab5dbe1f62""Kayla, are you-?" he stopped when he saw the others./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="49290c281767e4bfe13b9706a37219e5""Aren't you all cold?"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="67e58415784c16cab0d0e2f9997a8a48"They nodded. "We were running from these vulture things."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="2d29e4f2f49f92618cc3fa28d3742b51""Come inside." They hurried into the house and Charity began making some sort of hot drink for them./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="a8010deb9df6cdb0767fb41c4ba1849c"I studied the teenagers when I came inside. A girl around fifteen with ginger brown hair, arctic blue eyes, and Caucasian skin was wearing a purple backpack. Her nose was red from the cold and she was rubbing her arms./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="608f261bce002c3ed67ade031ea692e8"A fourteen-year-old boy with sandy brown hair, laser beam blue eyes, and Caucasian skin tugged on the sleeves of his dark gray coat. I caught a glimpse of something red on his wrist before it was covered up. He shuffled uncomfortably on his feet./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="3a2bc94cf127a9ee56095ea83d76b647"A seventeen-year-old boy standing next to him was adjusting the straps of his green backpack. He wore a black coat over the bulging backpack. His black hair was a mess and his violet eyes were full of worry. His tan skin was slightly pale from the cold./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="efb8dcffceaf0d4221f232ad494399ff"A girl with curly jet black hair, golden-brown eyes, and olive skin glanced around nervously. She looked to be about sixteen. "Are you Kayla?" she asked./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="37caf0d8c7f42190b3e32e50a03a5946"My eyes widened and I nodded. "Yes... how did you know that?"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="1a8e12573a873fd7f36054e5dc1e649f""I... I don't know. I heard that boy-" she gestured to Andrew, "-say Kayla but he didn't actually say the name."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="201d873cac811f33687f20e5f896eeef""Okay, I'm going to think of a question and I want you to repeat it if possible. Okay?" I asked./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="509759c39f8896293b7677ff3ad88379"She nodded. em style="box-sizing: border-box;"What's your name? /emI thought./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="84648e1502a416faa846d11e91f04449""You... you just asked what my name was." She said in disbelief. "My name is Annas."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="68697c046d65e757669d5a25b8e5201c""Humble," I whispered. "Annas, it's an honor to meet you. My name is Kayla and this is my cousin Andrew."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="2d85749d304976fed0023fba33f5e82c"Aurick and Charity came into the kitchen. Charity stared at the new people in the room. "Kayla? Who are they and why are they in my house?"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="b32a459d90cfa29f20e256613490adc8""Andrew and I found them outside in the snow. They are in possession of four of the ovula." I said./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="3a5a6a9c7cb0773abc537890edbbffd6""Ova- what now?" the boy with sandy brown hair asked./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="307fc016b61d2a9aa000049371c4de17""Ovula," Andrew said. "And you are?"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="790d5276aa621255469926e3a9dd3082""Sabri." He answered./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="0ab984b47cb973dea817e18b1baeff6d"Andrew looked at me. "And the name means what, exactly?"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="417017f5c7134866171b263b40037d87""Patience," I replied./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="0d858b738123c4516f8279733320e656""I'm Jonathan." The black-haired, violet-eyed boy said. "And this is Amnisty." He pointed to the girl with ginger brown hair./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="2d07935e819d3f116006f45dadb758df""Generosity and freedom,"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="31648495cc310d49cc6ea7bffd3e1870""So... what do we do now?" Amnisty asked./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="f91dcd0230e2122fb8351cb8cc440154""My cousin and I are trying to get back to Second Eden," Andrew informed them. "If you want to come with us, you can."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="975fb3453b4be8b95c069b5a4ba591d7""But how will you get there?" Annas asked./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="e59e1d52abf077651d4363038fec5071"All eyes turned to me and my cousin. I suddenly felt uncomfortable with being the center of attention. "Yeah, how will you get back to Second Eden?"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="3a2d4dcd5dc32c3ba3a2a4aac30b01e2""We need to find a way to either contact Second Eden or open up a portal to get there."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="21892cb7967e3117447380b85cb162fe""A portal," Annas repeated./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="996044533312145e007930f636923482"Andrew nodded. "If only we had Kaida and Griffin."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="b030ecaa182903cfffebed3cfcd056f9""Who?" Charity asked./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="a149044ddc067cafce2e86a9a3774beb""Our dragons," I explained./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="cbe79790626eb59383880c566904972f"A cold wind blew through the house and a drone appeared in the doorway of the open back door. Annas and Amnisty screamed. Andrew pulled out Excalibur and the sword began to glow. He swept the beam through the drone. Once the illuminating ray of light touched the creature, it exploded into particles of light, a process that Dr. Connor had decided to call translumination./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="1607b484dcf50efd9f47009a412990c8""Those things have been after us for the longest time," Annas said./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="cddcbbcf8e8086157b912129550ffb7b""We need to leave." I insisted./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="872841f955ea0bde0693a5d44fbdae4a""It'll be hard to run when we're carrying these," Jonathan said, holding up the violet ovulum./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="674fc0b06dbcd0bc27349dd30ea3e985"Andrew grabbed it from him and put it in the bag on my back. "Kayla's been carrying three ovula in this bag for a while. We'll put the others in here as well."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="a09306af6285fe964831a9b79802954c"One by one, each of them placed an ovulum into the bag. Once every egg was in the bag, we sprinted out the front door of the house and down the road. I could hear the drones behind us. I prayed that they wouldn't catch us./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555; text-align: center;" data-p-id="5e4e8c62c95a67bb8372410dda0edfb5"❄🔥❄/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555; text-align: center;" data-p-id="30216b04cce30dcb0388a90ab46d4778"span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bold;"Author's Note/span/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="ca0a139697c5430f20a511ba73c86e86"span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bold;"Bad chapter, I know. I was gonna add two other characters that /spanspan style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bold;"a style="box-sizing: border-box; background: 0px 0px; color: #dd7201;" href=" user/ScarletArrowKitty"ScarletArrowKitty/a/spanspan style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bold;" from Wattpad created but this chapter is over 4,000 words already so I'll add them to the next chapter. Sorry./span/p 


	5. Chapter 5

_Andrew Jared Bannister_

My heart hammered against my ribs as we ran. I could hear the drones behind us, too close for my liking. My danger sense was going off like crazy. As if I needed it to tell me were in danger at the moment.

I looked over my shoulder, seeing one of the creatures. It let out a squawk and lunged for my face. A stream of fire slammed into it, sending the burning monster to the ground. More fire hit a few of the other creatures before the remaining drones flew away.

I was confused. I hadn't shot the fire. So who had?

I got my answer when a large scaly beast landed in front of me, separating me from the others. It let out a roar, startling the others.

Annas' golden-brown eyes were wide and she looked about ready to faint. Sabri was staring at the creature like he couldn't believe that it was actually here.

Another beast, smaller than the one in front of me, landed next to me, in front of Kayla. Annas squeaked and went pale.

I focused on the creature in front of me. It was red and scaly. I smiled when I finally recognized it. "Griffin!" I shouted.

The dragon turned to look at me. "Andrew! Thank the Maker that you are all right."

Kayla hugged Kaida tightly around the neck. "We've been looking for you two everywhere," Kaida said.

"Dragons..." Amnisty mumbled.

"Amnisty, Sabri, Jonathan, Annas, this is Griffin and Kaida."

"Hello!" Jonathan said.

After we finished with the introductions, we continued walking. I had asked if Kaida and Griffin could make a portal but they said they couldn't until they knew for a fact that we would be able to get to Second Eden. We didn't want to accidentally end up in Hades.

Kayla stopped right as we passed an ominous looking building. It was a dark gray structure and part of the roof had collapsed. "Kayla?" I called. "Do you hear something?"

She nodded. I was about to ask her what it was that she heard when a loud crash came from the building. Two females raced out of the structure, covered with scratches and dirt. The older one who looked to be around fifteen had blonde hair, blue eyes, and light brown skin. On her hands and arms, I could see faintly visible tawny scales.

The younger one, maybe twelve or thirteen, had light brown hair, hazel eyes, and light brown skin. Two beautiful golden-brown dragon wings sprouted out of her back. Her eyes glistened with pure innocence and wonder. The other girl's blue eyes seemed somewhat dull. On the older female's arms, face, and neck were lesions. They weren't very big but they were noticeable.

Behind the girls, seven men dressed in black raced out of the building. One of them grabbed the girl with dragon wings. I pulled out my sword and charged towards the men. "Let them go!" I shouted.

"Make us!" One of the men replied, pulling the winged-girl closer to him, making her let out a yelp of pain.

Kayla and the others joined me. I swung my sword towards the man holding the girl with wings. His eyes widened when he saw my sword. Ducking beneath the blade he released the girl and stepped backward, running away with the other men. "You haven't stopped me! You only delayed us!"

I didn't put my sword away until they were out of sight. Sliding my sword into my scabbard, I turned to the two girls. Both of them looked frightened. I bowed to both the girls. "My name is Andrew. Are you hurt?"

The younger one shook her head and smiled at me. "Thank you, Andrew. I'm Madison Chava. And this is my sister, Caroline." She gestured to the other girl.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Madison." I bowed again. "What did those men want with you?"

Madison shook her head. "I don't know. The leader said something about 'destroying their goodness and purity'."

I furrowed my brow. "That's odd."

Madison nodded in agreement. "They found my sister and I hiding from those vulture things in an old car."

Kayla joined me. "I'm Kayla, Andrew's cousin."

Griffin shuffled closer to me, Kaida following him. "And I am Griffin. This," the red dragon said, gesturing to Kaida with a wing. "Is Kaida,"

Madison grinned. "Nice to meet you, Kayla, Kaida, and Griffin." She focused on our swords. "What place do you come from that uses swords?"

"Second Eden," I said.

Her hazel eyes widened. "Second Eden? People have said that it's gorgeous there. Can I visit? I'd love to see an Oracle of Fire!"

"For the last time, Madison," Caroline growled. "Oracles of Fire do not exist. They're made up to entertain people."

"They do exist," Madison said firmly.

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Madison-"

"Oracles of Fire exist," Kayla assured them. "My mother is one."

"Your mother is an Oracle of Fire?" Madison asked excitedly. "Do you have fire powers like she does?"

Kayla smiled. "No, I do not produce the same fire my mother does."

Madison looked a little disappointed. "Oh..."

Caroline scoffed. "Please... Those 'servants of Jehovah' do not exist. There's no proof."

"Does there have to be proof?" Kayla asked. "Isn't having faith enough for you to believe in something that you cannot see?"

Caroline rolled her eyes. "I'll only believe in something if I have proof that it exists."

I frowned. "Where is your faith?"

Caroline laughed without humor. "Faith," she repeated. "Delusional hope in things."

"Do you stop believing in the moon when the sun rises?"

Caroline raised an eyebrow. "What kind of question is that? Of course not. It's still there. I just can't see it."

"My point exactly. Have you ever seen snow?"

"No..."

"Do you believe that it exists?"

"Yes."

"Why do you believe that it exists?"

"Because I just do." She said, exasperated. "People talk about it."

"Then why do you not believe that an Oracle of Fire exists?"

"Because a person who can create fire and can kill you if you spill their blood is scary and beyond what humans understand."

"Just because you don't see something, that doesn't mean it's not there. You can't see the air but you know it's real. So what stops you from believing that Oracles exist?"

Madison giggled and turned to Caroline. "I like him."

There was something different about Madison. She seemed so... full of life. She was beautiful on a deeper level. Madison Chava reminded me a lot of Kayla. Madison's innocence was precious.

Both Kayla and Caroline tilted their heads as if listening to something. "What do you hear?"

"I hear a song," Kayla whispered.

"The last ovulum?" I asked.

"An ovulum?" Madison squealed. "Do you actually have one with you? I had a dream about them once."

Kayla and I exchanged a look. Then, Kayla removed the bag from her back and opened it, removing the purity ovulum which remained invisible. She set it in my hands and it slowly turned cloudy. Madison stared at it with child-like wonder. "Would you like to hold it?" I asked.

She looked up at me, surprised, but nodded. She cupped her hands as I transferred the egg to her hands. I expected it to stay cloudy, or even darken. Instead, it got lighter until it finally turned invisible. Seven colorful bubbles appeared in the ovulum and each of them was inflating and deflating. "We're close to the green ovulum."

Caroline stared at the egg. "That's-"

"The purity ovulum," I interjected. "Jehovah has charged Kayla and me with protecting it. Though. we don't know why."

"Can I come with you to Second Eden?" Madison asked. "Please?"

Kayla nodded. "If the king and queen-Andrew's parents-approve, then, yes."

Madison looked like she wanted to jump up and down, but she wisely stayed still. I took the ovulum from her and slipped it back into the bag. "We're trying to find a portal that will take us to Second Eden."

"Can't the dragons just create a portal with their fire?" Madison asked.

"They could," Kayla agreed. "But, that portal could take us to Hades or one of the seven circles. And those places are not nice."

Madison grinned. "Then let's get going."

She skipped ahead of us as we walked, her golden-brown wings flapping every now and then. As Amnisty and Jonathan watched Madison, they slowly took off their backpacks, exposing dragon wings. Amnisty's were a golden-brown matching Madison's and Jonathan' swings were brown. Aurick took his backpack off, too. His wings were brown like Jonathan's. I kept glancing at Caroline. The lesions on the side of her neck had gotten slightly larger.

Was she an unbeliever? Did she know what would happen to her if she didn't believe and trust in the Maker? And if she did, would she care?

Caroline let out a huff and a few sparks danced in the air in front of her mouth. Odd.

Madison was singing a song. Something about walking on an ocean and stepping out in faith. I smiled. She was a gift from God. Kaida and Griffin shuffled on either side of our group of anthrozils.

A flash of black movement caught my attention and I turned to my left to look at it. I turned a little too late. My danger sense screamed in my head right before a sword cut into my side just under my ribs. I gasped and clutched my side, thick, sticky red blood leaking between my fingers and splashing on the ground. My vision turned blurry as I sank to my knees.

Someone screamed my name. I think it was Kayla. I wasn't sure. A female figure dropped to the ground next to me, tears streaming down her cheeks. Strands of brown hair stuck to her tear-stained cheeks. Kayla. Madison knelt on my other side, also crying. Her golden-brown dragon wings drooped.

A hand grabbed her upper arm and hauled her up. She screamed and beat against the owner of the hand. She was in trouble. I wanted to help her. I willed myself to get up, but I was too weak. My muscles wouldn't respond.

Everything moved in a blur. A red, scaly thing draped a wing over me, blocking out the sun. The red canopy lit up, turning orange. I heard a faint scream and Kayla was dragged away from me. I couldn't do anything except watch her be pulled away by a dark-skinned man. She screamed in protest and looked back at me.

I wanted to sleep but knew that it wasn't a good idea. Pain roared through my side. I was cold. My vision dimmed as I finally gave in and fell asleep. _God, please protect Kayla and the others..._

❄?￢ﾝﾄ

 **Author's Note**

 **Thank you to** **ScarletArrowKitty** **for creating Caroline and Madison Chava.**

 **The song that Madison sings is** _ **Oceans**_ **by Hilsong United.**

 **Thank you for reading!**


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